Ground broken for new Welsh Hills High School

School administrators, teachers, contractors and students broke ground for the new Welsh Hills High School on April 17.(Photo: Craig McDonald/The Sentinel)

Welsh Hills officially kicked off construction on its new 2,500-square foot high school building with an April 17 ground-breaking ceremony.

School leaders, construction team members, the school’s first seniors set to graduate this year, and instructors key to the design process turned dirt as the student body looked on, cheering and clapping.

Of the new building expected to cost about $250,000 and planned for occupancy when the next school year kicks off this fall, Head of School Michelle Lerner said, “This is a huge, big step for Welsh Hills School. This is a real step toward something we’ve worked really hard for.”

Lerner said, “It’s been a long dream of Welsh Hills School, longer than any of us here today. I’m beyond excited to be a part of helping to grow the dream and make it a reality.”

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Students celebrate the start of construction of the new high school they will one day attend.(Photo: Craig McDonald/The Sentinel)

She singled out senior Chance Ashworth, one of two seniors set to comprise this year’s first senior graduating glass, as a spark of inspiration for the coming high school building.

“He was in eighth grade and said, ‘I don’t want to leave here; please make a school for me,'” Lerner recalled.

Ashworth, who along with other students helped plan the design of the new school, is headed to the University of Michigan after he soon graduates Welsh Hills.

Though he won’t be a student in the new building he wished for, he is excited it is to become a reality.

“I’ve been coming here since I was in fourth grade,” he said, holding a golden ceremonial shovel. “It felt nice to work on it and help out with the school. All the students are on a first-name basis with the teachers. It’s a very one-on-one relationship. It’s like a family.”

Instructor Karen Lepper also worked with students to help shape the new building, including learning about blueprints and attending planning and zoning meetings.

It’s actually a modified version of one student’s design that is beginning construction this month, Lepper said.

Lepper said she is “thrilled” the new school is finally becoming a reality.

Harold Compton of Compton Construction which is the contractor for the new school –Compton is also a Granville resident – said, “This will be a labor of love.” He said where possible, local contractors and suppliers will be used throughout the building process.